Computer games could actually be key in keeping kids fit

By Kristen Amiet| 4 years ago

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Findings suggest computer games may actually be a better source of physical activity than playing outside

Parents and experts have long blamed video games for birthing generations of couch-potato kids, but a new study suggests the electronic consoles may in fact prompt moderate to intense physical activity – depending on the types of games played.

Findings out of the University of Tennessee's (UT) Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory suggest computer games may actually be a better source of physical activity than playing outside.

"Our study shows video games which wholly engage a child's body can be a source of physical activity," said Dr Hollie Raynor, a professor of nutrition at UT.

"Previous studies investigating active video games had not investigated the energy expenditure of these games as compared to unstructured outdoor play."

Across a three-week period, Dr Raynor's team equipped children aged between five and eight years old with accelerometers on both wrists and one hip to track upper- and lower-body movement, which can vary significantly between indoor and outdoor play.

Each child then participated in one 20-minute "active" video gaming session and one unstructured outdoor play date of the same duration over a three-week period.

While the outdoor play session could take any form, the video gaming session was performed in front of a 40-inch television using an Xbox 360 Kinect – a controller-free console that users motion sensors and skeletal tracking to move players through an assortment of games.

Dr Raynor's team observed participants using the Children's Activity Rating Scale to record activity levels during both sessions, with estimated energy consumption reported in minute-by-minute counts.

Surprisingly, the researchers found a significantly greater percentage of moderate to vigorous intensity activity recorded by the hip accelerometers in the video gaming sessions than in unstructured outdoor playtime.

The findings, which are published in the Games for Health Journal – a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal "dedicated to the development, use and applications of game technology for improving physical and mental health and wellbeing" – suggest that active video games may, in fact, be an effective source of physical activity for otherwise sedentary young children.

"No-one else has used measures with this degree of accuracy in comparing active video gaming with outdoor play in young children," Dr Raynor says.

"We're not saying video games should replace outdoor play, but there are better choices people can make when choosing the types of video games for their children."